BB waited to feel better, but even sleeping through the night she was still feeling crappy. She thought maybe it was an iron deficiency or something, an issue she’d dealt with before, then realized that she hadn’t had her period since Louie had been with her. Her hands stilled, soapy dishwater dripping off them.
Heart in her throat she hurried to her office, drying her hands on her skirt. She shoved things aside on her desk, looking for her planner. Where the heck had it gone? There, under a copy of the USA Today and her latest strip. Finally, she scanned her planner, looking for the little marks she used to indicate period days. They weren’t there. But then, she hadn’t been keeping her planner up very well, what with caring for the puppy. She’d kept a separate notepad close at hand to keep track of Louie’s feeding and weight gain, but it wouldn’t be on there.
Suddenly, some of the things she’d been experiencing began to make sense, and an odd kind of terrifying hope began to build.
BB headed to the shower, stripping as she went. As soon as the water warmed she stepped in and rested her hands on her belly. Was she a little tiny bit bigger? Or was she imagining it? Wracking her brain she tried to think back to when she could have conceived. She’d thought they’d used condoms every time they’d made love, but she knew as much as anyone that condoms weren’t a hundred percent. And they’d been going at it pretty heavy, so…
Lincoln was going to freak.
Tears filled her eyes as she thought about bringing a little Lincoln into the world, with dark hair and his brilliant colored eyes. She would need to run to the drug store to get a test, but in her heart she was almost positive she was going to have a baby.
Even more desperately she wished Lincoln would call.
Mary seemed to sense that something was going on but BB didn’t want to tell her if she could avoid it. If at all possible, Lincoln should be the first to know. Should she write him a letter and hope it got to him? There was a program called Sandbox Letters that Mary had told her about but she hadn’t tried the service yet. Did she dare? Maybe if she technically told him about the baby before Mary guessed she wouldn’t feel so bad.
Or maybe she should just wait. By her estimates, if she was counting correctly, she was probably two to two and a half months along. Maybe waiting another two months until he came home would be smart. She was a little older and wasn’t there a point in the pregnancy when it was assumed the baby was safe? Like the first trimester or something.
Just the thought of finally holding a baby in her arms, her child, was shocking. And thrilling. And a little horrifying. She wasn’t sure how exactly she’d managed to get pregnant, but she would accept the joy, happily.
Suddenly, the realization that she was going to have a baby hit her hard. They were going to have to prepare. Just the thought of all the stuff they needed to get…crap… They were going to need Lamaze classes and maybe even a new house. The two-bedroom beach house was fine for now but she would have to give up her office for the baby.
Louie whined and she moved to pet him, distracted. Then Frankie moved in beside him, taking her hand. BB snorted, loving that her dogs seemed to sense her disquiet.
At a loss, she sank down into her comfy chair on the far side of the room. No, she thought, pushing up, she needed to plan. Grabbing a note pad she flipped to a fresh page, sank back down into the chair, then just stared, not having any idea where to start.
Maybe…maybe it would be smart to head to her house up north. She needed to decide what to do with it anyway. It had been vacant pretty much since she and Lincoln had gotten together. It would get them out of town and she wouldn’t slip with the information.
Or maybe she should slip with the information. Mary, who’d had three kids, would be an invaluable resource right now.
Shit. For one of the only times in her life she had no idea what to do.
Louie whined and she looked down. That’s what she would do; she would take the dogs for a walk. And when she got back she would make a cup of tea and try to work out her priorities.
Chapter Four
In the end she didn’t go anywhere. This beautiful house had quickly become her home and she would stay here. If she did anything, she would contact some contractors and see about expanding in the space they had. She had to have an office and they needed a bedroom for the baby. Research became her priority, first for builders in the area, then for doctors. And if there was one thing the area had it was plenty of OBGYNs. She laughed as she looked at the pages and pages of doctors. Coronado was one of the busiest military bases in the country. Obviously, it had a thriving, growing population. This was where Mary would come in handy.
BB marked off days on the calendar as Lincoln’s deployment ran long, praying that he would be safe and return home quickly. The government wasn’t known for being quick to
